Pioneer Valley Jewish Film Festival Celebrates 13 Years

SPRINGFIELD — The Pioneer Valley Jewish Film Festival announces its 13th season, featuring nearly two weeks of films that explore the best of independent cinema through a distinctly Jewish lens.

Presented by the Springfield Jewish Community Center, the film festival takes place March 15-27, with screenings and special events at 18 community venues throughout Western Massachusetts.

The festival will feature 20 award-winning films from nine countries, providing a global perspective on the Jewish experience.

“This year’s line-up will stir emotions and inspire conversation,” said Deb Krivoy, Festival Director. “We are proud to be the hub of Jewish cinema in the Valley, and we look forward to sharing this culturally significant selection of films with audiences across Western Mass.”

The festival opens on Thursday, March 15 with “Bye Bye Germany” at the Yiddish Book Center in Amherst. Starring Moritz Bleibtreu as a defiant Holocaust survivor looking to strike it rich in postwar Frankfurt, the film is a brisk, polished drama tempered with bittersweet humor.

In celebration of Israel’s 70th birthday, the festival includes a specially curated film series called “Framing Israel,” headlined by “Ben-Gurion, Epilogue,” winner of Israel’s Academy Award for Best Documentary of the year. Dr. Clinton Bailey, lead interviewer in the film, will attend. Other Israeli films include the music documentary “East Jerusalem West Jerusalem”; the thriller “Shelter” by veteran filmmaker Eran Riklis; the provocative documentary “The Settlers”; and the realistic drama “Scaffolding,” winner of Best Israeli Film at the Jerusalem Film Festival.

This year’s festival showcases two films by Massachusetts filmmakers. “GI Jews: Jewish Americans in World War II” is about the 550,000 Jewish men and women who served in the U.S. military during WWII, produced and directed by Lisa Ades of Amherst. “Etched in Glass: The Legacy of Steve Ross,” directed by Natick-based Roger Lyons, tells the true story of Boston’s Steve Ross, who survived 10 concentration camps as a Polish boy during the Holocaust.

Many other documentaries are on tap this year. “Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story” is a biopic about the Hollywood starlet who was also a talented and inquisitive inventor. In “Sammy Davis Jr.: I’ve Gotta Be Me,” a star-studded roster of interviewees pays tribute to the legendary song-and-dance man. “Big Sonia” is a celebration of one woman’s astonishing resilience and big heart. “Monsieur Mayonnaise” chronicles an artist’s epic adventure into his father’s clandestine role in the French Resistance.

The festival will include two family-friendly films. In the animated classic “An American Tail,” a young mouse and his family emigrate from Russia to the U.S. by boat. Winner of 22 Best Film Audience Awards, “Fanny’s Journey” is the rare World War II period piece that’s exciting and inspirational for children 11 and up.

Also notable this year is a retrospective screening of “My Mexican Shivah,” Alejandro Springall’s 2007 bawdy comedy.

The festival closes on March 27, with “Keep the Change” at Rave Cinemas in West Springfield. Rachel Israel’s romantic comedy is about two adults with autism who strike up an unlikely and transformative relationship won the Best Narrative Feature award at the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival.

Some screenings will feature Q&As with filmmakers, scholars, musicians and community leaders.

For a full description of all of the films, visit www.pvjff.org.

Tickets: $10/general admission; $8/students and seniors (65+), available at www.pvjff.org, by phone at (413) 739-4715, or in person at the Springfield JCC.